Badge of the bunny recalls fellowship days
PENNIES went a long way when they were collected by young readers of The Hunts Post. A small enamel brooch with a rabbit on it, found in a field, has unearthed the story of The Hunts Post Bunny Fellowship. The fellowship was a children s club run by the n
PENNIES went a long way when they were collected by young readers of The Hunts Post.
A small enamel brooch with a rabbit on it, found in a field, has unearthed the story of The Hunts Post Bunny Fellowship.
The fellowship was a children's club run by the newspaper in the 1960s to raise money for equipment for the children's ward at The County Hospital. Youngsters were asked to collect "bun pennies".
These coins were Victorian pennies, so called because on them Queen Victoria was wearing a bun. The pennies were all given to the hospital - and enough were collected to help build a new wing at the hospital.
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When they had collected enough pennies, the newspaper awarded children a certificate and an enamel brooch with a white rabbit in the centre. The brooch was inscribed with "The Hunts Post Bunny Fellowship" round the edge and once a year, the hospital put on a party for the fellowship members.
The paper, which was then based further along the High Street, where Steve's Taxis is now, had an Uncle Bunny, a journalist on the staff who visited the children in hospital each week and wrote their names in his column.
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The story came to mind again last week when one of the fellowship brooches was found in a field in Diddington, near Buckden, by Simon Irons, a Diddington plumber who was searching the field with his metal detector. He usually finds Roman coins and brooches.
Mr Irons, secretary of the St Neots and District Artefacts Club, contacted The Hunts Post saying: "I received a signal from my machine that would normally have produced me a George V penny, but instead I found a nice enamel brooch with the Bunny Fellowship inscription."
Mr Irons was due to display the brooch last night (Tuesday) at the St Neots and District Artefacts Club meeting at the Hyde Park pub in New Street, St Neots.
* CAN you tell us more about The Hunts Post Bunny Fellowship? Were you a member and how many pennies did you have to collect to get your badge? Please contact Angela Singer on 01480 443451, or write to: The Hunts Post, 30 High Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TB or email: news@huntspost.co.uk
INFORMATION: The St Neots and District Artefacts Club meets every other Tuesday. Contact Simon Irons on 01480 812254.
